It used to be that getting a driver’s license was a big deal; however, teenagers today would rather just call an Uber.
According to the Federal Highway Administration, only 60 percent of American 18-year-olds had a driver’s license in 2021, and that is down from 80 percent in 1983. That percentage is likely far lower today.
Back in the day, the trip to the DMV after the 16th birthday party was fraught with anxiety about having to parallel park to pass the test or, God forbid, the teen would pop up on the curb in front of the test instructor.
I had no such anxiety. My grandfather had been teaching me to drive since I was 10 years old.
It started with him letting me tool around in empty parking lots on Sunday afternoons, and by the time I was 11, we would jaunt off to Lincolnton with me behind the wheel of Gran Gran’s cherry red Chevrolet pick-up with a “three on the tree” transmission.
In those days, Washington Road was nothing but rural farmland after you passed Club Car, but I still managed to get pulled over by a Lincolnton cop. I hadn’t committed a moving violation (well, except driving without a license), the officer could not see anyone driving from his position behind us.
Our family is from Lincolnton, so the cop knew my grandfather. The exchange went something like this:
“Mr. Reed, what do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m just teaching the boy how to drive. He has to learn somehow. Besides, we are about the only ones on the road.”
“Mr. Reed, this is a state highway. Now you know you can’t be doing this.”
So, we switched seats, and as soon as the cop took off in the opposite direction and was out of sight, we switched back and went on our merry way.
I remember feeling so free and independent when I finally got my license. My first time driving without an adult in the car was when my mother let me drive to the grocery store for a gallon of milk.
On the trip, I had to take my stupid little brother with me, but that didn’t diminish the experience at all.
When my daughter was about 11, I started teaching her to drive in the church parking lot near our house. However, when she turned 15, I offered to take her down to get her learners permit and she declined.
“I’ll do it later,” she said.
Emerson is now 18 and while she has her license now, she still shows little inclination to get behind the wheel.
Experts say there are multiple reasons for this.
One factor could be anxiety as there are more cars on the road today than ever before.
There are also financial considerations. A University of Michigan Transportation Institute study found that 32 percent of respondents cited the cost of owning and maintaining a vehicle to be too expensive when a rideshare service is just a cell phone call away.
That seems to make sense. In the 1980s, a good beater could be had for less than $1,000, and that is not even a decent down payment in today’s world. A ton of good used cars were taken off the market with the Obama Administration’s “Cash for Clunkers” program.
However, experts agree that the biggest reason by far is technology. A study published in Entrepreneur found that the average millennial spends 18 hours a day on I-Phones and other media devices.
It used to be that if a teen wanted to meet up with their friends, they needed a car or had to suffer the embarrassment of having their Dad drop them off at the mall. Back in my day, we would drive our cars to West Town Shopping Center on Washington Road to hang out in the parking lot, then cruise down to the Sidetrack Bar and Grill and hang out in that parking lot.
Today’s teens do not need to go anywhere physically to meet up with friends. They can just jump on an app and “hang out” digitally.
Ah, how our world evolves.
See you on the road!
Scott Hudson is the Senior Investigative Reporter and Editorial Page Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
